Panther & Cobra
by Trooper1023
Summary: Tomas Bannon is a seemingly normal New York teenager that gets a chance to spend his junior year in school in Nerima, Tokyo... renting a room in the Tendo Dojo of all places! (ABANDONED)


Disclaimer: All characters and concepts in this story are owned and copyrighted   
by their respective creators. They DO NOT belong to me. I'm just barrowing them.  
  
Panther & Cobra  
A Ranma 1/2 new character-insertion  
Written by Trooper1023  
  
~text~ is thoughts  
*text* is emphasized words  
[text] is sounds/actions  
{text} is animal signs, for cursed people   
is spoken in English  
  
Ranma timeline: My character enters the story after Ranma defeats Ryoga's Shi   
Shi Hokodan with his own Moko Takabisha, and after the New Year story with   
Shampoo and the Ghost Cat. The exact place in the manga is at the very end of   
Book 20, starting as Part 11: "Waves of Rumors" picks up. He's the same age as   
Nabiki.  
_______________________________________________________________________  
  
Chapter 1: An American in Nermia  
_______________________________________________________________________  
  
6:28 AM, Tokyo International Airport...  
  
From off 747 flight 1217 a flood of mostly bleary-eyed or just-woken people   
spilled through the gate and into the terminal proper. People of all different   
ethnicities, origins, religions, and whatnot joined the greater flow heading for   
the baggage claim.  
  
One of them was a fairly young American by the name of Tomas Bannon. Having   
turned 17 just this last October, Tom (as he preferred) was just beginning a   
year-long stay in Tokyo, Japan. The whole idea was to have one year of high   
school, the junior year, completed in another country for "knowledge diversity",   
as the school board called it. Tom didn't care for a name, he just went to make   
the most of it--being an Anime fan and all. Heh.  
  
The American grabbed his huge backpack from the baggage claim, ignoring the   
stares he knew were coming from "normal" people, and crammed his carry-on   
backpack into it. ~Heh, I knew steadily increasing the weight I carried in my   
backpack to school everyday would boost my strength. Hell, I couldn't pull a   
complete flip, front or back, for the longest time. I finally did one on my 17th   
birthday... talk about symbolism!~ He chuckled. Hoisting the pack on his   
shoulders, Tom headed for the bus stop that would take him to the nearest train   
station.  
  
It was just before seven o'clock when the American student arrived at the train   
station. He set his pack down and began digging through it, eventually pulling   
out a specially marked folder.  
  
~Lets see, where is it... ah ha! Train tickets and the address of the family I'm   
staying with. Now, the tickets say...~ Tom   
roared. A circle of empty space instantly formed around him, and Tom looked   
around sheepishly, noticing more stares. ~Oookaaaay... gotta remember not to do   
*that* again.~ Looking back down at the ticket, ~Yup, my eyes ain't deceivin'   
me. Nermia District. Guess Takahashi decided to use a real district for the   
setting of her "Ranma 1/2" stories... though why I couldn't find this place in   
the books back home is beyond me. Weird...~  
  
"Excuse me, but could you tell me where to find the Tendo Dojo?" Tom looked up   
into the face of a Japanese boy, probably 16 or so. He was built and carried   
himself like a fighter. A yellow and black bandanna held a mop of black hair out   
of the guy's emerald eyes, while a backpack even bigger then Tom's own rode his   
shoulders.  
  
"Tendo Dojo?! Wait'a sec, that's..." Tom started laughing. "Hahahahaaa!" ~This   
is too much! There's actually a Tendo Dojo, and even more--~ He looked at a   
different sheet of paper from the same folder. "That's where I'll be staying for   
the next year--"  
  
"NANI!?!" Bandanna Boy screamed and grabbed Tom by the collar of his t-shirt.   
Being as tall as he is, Tom found himself being pulled over frontward. "Ok   
mister, who are you?" the pissed-off teen growled.  
  
~Damn, not good, not good at all. This guy is waaaay stronger than me, and... a   
spotted bandanna, a huge backpack, and looking for the Tendo Dojo?!? NO WAY!!...   
Al'right, yes way. Now, to chill him out...~ Tom started waving his arms around   
in a placating manner. "Hey! Hey! Easy does it buddy! I'm not invadin' their   
house or anything. I'm an exchange student from America, paying through the ears   
to spend a year in the Japanese high school system. Are the Tendos friends of   
yours or somethin'? Just chill man. A chunk of what I'm payin' will be going to   
the Tendo's in compensation for room and board." Classic use of the Bannon   
hyper-velocity vocal communication system, a.k.a. talking fast. Always   
effective.  
  
The teen released Tom. "Oh, ok. Sorry about that, it's just that the Tendo Dojo   
already has guests, a pair of freeloaders at that! I was worried that you were   
another jerk like those two. I'm Ryoga Hibiki." (if you hadn't guessed by now,   
reader no baka)  
  
Tom straightened his shirt, grinned lopsidedly, and stuck out his hand. "Don't   
worry 'bout it, Ryoga. My name's Tom Bannon."  
  
Ryoga looked at the hand for a bit, puzzled, until he realized that Tom was   
motioning for a handshake instead of the customary Japanese bow. He grasped the   
outstretched hand and shook it firmly. "American you said, right?" Tom nodded.   
"I thought I recognized your accent, though I can't place it exactly. Your   
Japanese is surprisingly good." The two teens released each other's hand.  
  
Tom grinned again and scratched the side of his neck. "So I've been told. I've   
been studying Japan and the like for a long time, partially in preparation for   
this trip. Lets get you a train ticket and we'll head for the Tendo's together,   
'k?" He slipped his backpack on again and turned to the ticket counter, ~...Oh   
shit, Ryoga's called "the Lost Boy" for a reason! I hope--~ only to turn back   
and find that Ryoga was nowhere in sight. ~--he isn't lost already, damnit!~  
_______________________________________________________________________  
  
Ryoga looked around. "Huh? Where did all the people go? Tom? Where are you?   
TOM!?" A empty plain of grass stretched out before the Eternally Lost Boy.   
"RANMA!!! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"  
_______________________________________________________________________  
  
~He's probably on the other side of the world by now!~ Tom rolled his eyes as he   
climbed onto the train bound for Nerima. ~I still don't believe it! Takahashi's   
comics actually feature real people, and I bet in real situations too!~ Dropping   
his pack on the seat next to him, Tom stared out the window as the train began   
to roll, still deep in thought. ~Hey... I wonder if I can get THE Ranma Saotome   
to teach me Anything Goes Kempo? Would that be sweet or what!~  
_______________________________________________________________________  
  
7:30 AM, Tendo Dojo, Nerima District...  
  
Nabiki Tendo left the dojo with something new on her mind. It seemed that the   
Tendo Dojo had been picked to provide lodging for a long-term exchange student,   
American from the information provided. Nabiki would have sent it back with a   
refusal normally, but the amount they would be paying was just too good an offer   
to pass up. This gajin kid would be easy to deal with, and the money would give   
Nabiki more elbow room in managing the family assets. With spirits raised,   
Nabiki proceeded to do something she hadn't done since she was little.  
  
She skipped to school.  
  
When her latchkeys saw Nabiki *skipping* they figured she'd finally discovered   
something other than money. They would have been right... if only they'd waited   
until the *end* of the day.  
_______________________________________________________________________  
  
At the Nerima station, Tom debarked from the train, slipped on his jacket, and   
went cab hunting. ~I should make it to the local high school, Furinkan, just in   
time for classes to start.~  
_______________________________________________________________________  
  
Fifteen minutes after her sister left, Akane Tendo did the same. Five minutes   
after that, Ranma Saotome followed.  
_______________________________________________________________________  
  
Furinkan High School, ten minutes after *that*...  
  
Tom came to the yard gates and stopped. Being over six feet tall has its   
advantages when among people that are rarely over 5'9". He gazed over the heads   
of the other students, noticing something odd. Rose petals were riding on the   
cold wind. Then a feeling danger began to creep up his back. Tom tensed, ready   
for anything...  
  
...*Except* a girl in a black gymnast's leotard and cloak, leaping through the   
air and swinging a *big* mallet at another girl with short, dark blue hair. Tom   
was about to shout a warning when the other girl, this one dressed more   
normally, spun around and caught the mallet before she could become a splat on   
the ground. The American blinked. ~Akane Tendo and Kodachi Kuno?~  
  
"YOU?!" Akane gritted her teeth in anger and threw her mallet-wielding foe.   
"Take that!" The gymnast easily righted herself in mid-air and landed on her   
feet. Straightening up from her throw, Akane growled, "What do you want *now*,   
Kodachi?"  
  
"I do not believe it is any business of yours, Akane Tendo!" Kodachi declared in   
a haughty tone.  
  
Tom cocked an eyebrow. ~Not her business? Kodachi *attacked* Akane, and she says   
It's not her business!?~ He was debating whether or not to intervene when   
someone else did just that. Tom blinked again as an unusually tall student   
wielding a wooden katana and dressed in samurai garb charged Kodachi. ~Tatewaki   
Kuno?... Hey, he's almost as tall as me. I knew he was that tall from the manga   
but to see it is something else. Weird.~  
  
Kuno swung at Kodachi, bellowing, "Stay back from her, madwoman! What do you   
intend for my fair Akane?!" The gymnast hmphed and blocked the strikes with a   
pair of juggling clubs.  
  
~Juggling clubs against a wooden sword? God, this really is Takahashi's 'Ranma-  
verse'!~ thought Tom, sweatdropping. Kuno demanded that his gymnast sister   
return to her own school. She responded by tossing her cloak back and whipping a   
ribbon through the air. Somehow, more rose petals and what looked to be   
photographs appeared. Tom snatched a photo from the air out of curiosity. ~It's   
a picture of Stick Boy and some cute redhead. Heh, wonder why she's usin' a   
towel for a shirt. And she looks oddly familiar too...~ Kuno and his gymnast   
sister were gone now, so Tom decided to approach the remaining girl, Akane. She   
was looking at a photo and from the looks of it she was *not* happy. She stormed   
off before Tom could say anything. ~Okaaaay. Guess I'll just go get registered.   
After that I'll go looking for Nabiki Tendo. She'd be the financial manager of   
the Tendo household.~ Tom headed for the front doors. Something tickled the back   
of his mind and he scanned the windows on the third floor. He found himself   
trading stares with a brown-haired student. The distance seemed to shrink for an   
instant before the girl got up and moved from the window. Shrugging off a   
lingering feeling of... something... Tom entered the school.  
_______________________________________________________________________  
  
Up on the third floor, said student was trying to shake off a similar feeling.   
Nabiki shook her head and wondered why she couldn't get the image of the gajin   
out of her mind. When their eyes had locked, Nabiki had seen a mix of   
determination, knowledge, intelligence, and sheer willpower. The same mix she's   
seen in the mirror. Something was causing an attraction that Nabiki could hardly   
resist. ~What's going on here? It's like my insides are intent on pulling me to   
him... Although I don't *really* mind. He is handsome...~  
_______________________________________________________________________  
  
The registration went fast for Tom. In a short amount of time, he was heading   
for his first class at Furinkan High - after that class he would have the   
standard orientation. Walking down the hallway, Tom couldn't help but notice the   
sounds of a major commotion coming from one of the freshmen classes. ~I wonder   
what's going on in there--~ "YAH!" Tom toppled over backward in surprise as   
Kodachi burst out the door from the classroom while laughing psychotically,   
followed by her wooden sword-wielding brother. The American blinked, sighed, and   
climbed back to his feet.  
  
Moving closer to the classroom, Tom saw someone strangely familiar leaning   
against the wall just inside the doorway. Another blink. ~Nabiki Tendo is the   
girl in the window that caught my attention from the yard? This is waaaaaay too   
much...~ Tom shook his head violently and focused on what was being said.  
  
"...forget about the rumor, you know... I'd say it's a fairly ingenious one."   
That was Nabiki talking.  
  
"Really? How?" A different voice from inside the classroom, similar yet   
different than Nabiki's; also female.  
  
"Ah-ah... Payment first!" said Nabiki as she stepped away from the wall.  
  
Tom rolled his eyes at the sound of money changing hands. ~That's the Mercenary   
for ya! Money first, everything else second.~  
  
Nabiki's voice came again. "This is the kind of fire you fight with more fire.   
Meaning that we need to spread an even *more* vicious rumor!"  
  
"Yea! That'll work," said a new, male voice.  
  
~Enthusiastic, energetic, and ignorant.~ Tom slapped a hand over his face.   
~That's gotta be Saotome! Too bad Viz hasn't released Ranma 1/2 volume 18 in the   
USA; this story arc would be in it. Oh well, at least I already know the   
characters pretty well, and I should be able to play the rest by ear.~ Sticking   
his head around the doorframe, Tom watched Nabiki whip out a photo.  
  
"See? It's perfect," she said with a smirk. Tom backed away from the door as the   
sound of cracking knuckles was heard. Nabiki's voice came back. "Hurt me and   
*this* goes public." She exited the classroom swiftly, while the guy following   
her froze in his tracks and looked like he was about to start crying.  
  
~Let's see... Black hair in a pigtail, dark blue-gray eyes, and dressed in what   
looks like a Mao Zedong Chinese military uniform. So this is Ranma Saotome...   
Not much to look at, but I guess that's the point, making opponents   
underestimate him.~ An odd thought hit Tom and he pulled out the photo he'd   
grabbed from the yard incident. ~Hey, this redhead could be Saotome's twin   
sister... ah-ha! This has got to be Ranma's cursed form... But then why the heck   
would he do this *and* let a picture of it be taken... Never mind, I gotta   
introduce myself to Nabiki.~ Taking up a fast trot, Tom walked after the middle   
Tendo daughter.  
_______________________________________________________________________  
  
"Excuse me, are you Nabiki Tendo?"  
  
Nabiki stopped and began to turn around. "Who wants to know..." Her voice   
trailed off as she got her first close-up look at the gajin she'd seen in the   
yard. ~Wow...~  
  
He was *tall*, six feet two inches by Nabiki's estimate. He wore a leather   
jacket over a dark blue v-neck shirt, dark blue "tech"-style cargo pants, and a   
pair of gray and white sneakers. Short, medium-brown hair, parted over his left   
eye, framed his face with the kind of natural curl that hair stylists dream of   
duplicating for their customers. His face was long and angular enough to give   
him the look of a full-grown man, yet remain boyishly young at the same time.   
Bushy, expressive eyebrows hooded liquid-brown eyes that seemed to draw her in.   
A European nose bisected his face, and his mouth was pulled into a friendly   
half-grin. He shifted a bit, then slung his large backpack off and set it down.   
Some kind of design was visible on the backs of his hands.  
  
"Ya got the letter from the local school board, right? That asked if you had a   
room open for use by a foreign exchange student? That'd be me. Name's Tomas   
Bannon..." the gajin said in a smooth, tenor voice and with a heavy, though   
understandable, English accent.  
  
Nabiki's mouth dropped open. And closed. And opened again. And closed again.   
~*THIS* is the guy we'll be hosting for the year?!? This is too good to be true!   
I'd never thought a gajin could be handsome like him! I'll have *two* good-  
looking guys to make money off of!~ Nabiki smirked her I-got-a-money-making-plan   
smirk. "And you came looking for me because...?"  
  
"Well, you're the only member of the Tendo household that's in their junior year   
of high school, right? I'm the new student in your class, Tendo-san. Since I'll   
be heading home with you, I figured I'd ask if you could show me where all the   
major stuff is, like around the school, places to eat, the local chiropractor,   
you know, that kind of stuff." He tilted his head to the side and scratched the   
side of his neck. "If ya don't mind, that is."  
  
Nabiki shook her head to clear her thoughts. ~I need to play this smooth.~ "No,   
I don't mind at all. Come on, our class is this way."  
_______________________________________________________________________  
  
That afternoon...  
  
"So Bannon-san, how was your first day of school here in Japan?"  
  
"It was interesting. American and Japanese high schools are like contrasting   
images, different in some ways and the same in others." Tom followed Nabiki out   
the front door of Furinkan and out toward the playing field. "And could we   
please drop the formalities. I know 'Tendo-san' would be appropriate, but it   
makes me feel like a damn robot!"  
  
Nabiki grinned. "So you want to go by first names?" He nodded. "Why not, Tom-  
kun? I don't mind."  
  
Tom hesitated. "Great uh... what about you? Um... is 'Na-chan' ok? It's the best   
I could come up with..."  
  
Nabiki blushed slightly at her new pet name. ~What's with me?~ Tom *was* an   
interesting fellow after all. He almost always had something to add in class, if   
not something interesting then it was weird, oddly coincidental, or just plain   
funny. Out of class, he seemed to have a never-ending supply of witty remarks,   
sarcastic comments, and odd references that had others rolling on the ground in   
laughter. ~Ok, so he's cool to hang around with, and really funny to boot. Why   
do I feel so warm right now.~  
  
"Hey, you alright? You're face is a little red."   
  
Nabiki considered slapping her hand over her face, but decided against it. ~Why   
is it that ever good-looking, interesting guy I meet turns out to be a regular   
baka around girls?~ "I'm fine, don't worry about it."  
  
"Oh." He paused. "Well, are we heading over to the Tendo dojo now?"  
  
"No. There's going to be a face-off between Kuno and his sister Kodachi at the   
playing field, with the reputation of a certain pigtailed redhead hanging   
between them."  
  
"Kuno? You mean the unusually tall guy running around with the wooden sword? And   
who's the redhead? The one that's in the picture." Tom pulled out the photo from   
the morning episode in the yard.  
  
"Yes, that's Kuno. The wooden katana he carries everywhere is called a bokutou.   
And yes, the redhead--the girl standing in the middle of the field, next to   
Kuno--is the same redhead in the pictures that Kodachi threw around the yard   
this morning. Hmmm..." Nabiki motioned one of her latchkeys over. Once she was   
filled in on what was going on, she sent him off and turned to Tom. "It seems   
that Kodachi wants an apology from Kuno. And... she's got even *more* pictures,   
to keep her brother from doing anything foolish."  
  
Tom blinked as the guy spectators started yammering about getting more photos.   
"What's goin' on here? The crowd--the guys at least--want the photos, Kodachi   
wants an apology, the redhead wants her reputation cleared, and--what does Kuno   
what?"  
  
"More pictures of my pigtailed goddess! I MUST HAVE THEM!"  
  
"Guess that answers that question," said Tom dryly, watching the redhead fall   
over, forefinger and pinky extended on both hands, Takahashi-style. "The poor   
girl." Nabiki abruptly burst into laughter. "What's so funny, Na-chan?"  
  
Nabiki shook her head. "Don't worry, you'll find out soon enough," she said with   
a grin. They turned back to the face-off just as Kodachi whirled her ribbon and   
sent the photos into the air. A stampede erupted as guys ran down onto the field   
and tried to grab a photo, to no avail.  
  
Tom whistled in admiration as the redhead bounded around the field, snatching   
photos out of the air. "Wow, she's fast. Hey Na-chan, what's the redhead's   
name?"  
  
~To tell the truth, or not to tell the truth. Interesting dilemma... I'll tell   
him the truth.~ "Ranma Saotome."  
_______________________________________________________________________  
  
~Ok, I already know the answer, but I gotta make it look like I don't.~ "Ranma   
Saotome... whoa, hold up a sec! She's got the same name as that pigtailed *guy*   
that chased you out of that freshmen class this morning?" Shaking his head back   
and forth like he was dizzy, Tom hoped Nabiki bought the act.  
  
She seemed not to notice. "No, that *is* Ranma Saotome. He turns into the   
redheaded girl you're looking at when he's splashed with cold water."  
  
Tom threw his best 'are you crazy' look at Nabiki. "You actually expect me to   
believe that?! A total change from male to female? That's impossible."  
  
Nabiki gave Tom a bemused smile. "Oh no Tom-kun. A total change is indeed   
possible, with magic. But don't worry about that now. Look down there."  
  
[THUD] went the entire male population of Furinkan High. The field was now   
littered with fallen bodies.  
  
"What're they so upset about?" asked Tom, arcing an eyebrow.  
  
In response, Nabiki grabbed the last photo out of the air. She held it up.   
"This, I believe." Tom took one look at the photo and couldn't hold it in any   
longer. He burst out in laughter.  
_______________________________________________________________________  
  
Akane and Ranma-chan stood side by side, staring at the newest doctored photo by   
Kodachi. It was a shot Kuno's head, attached seamlessly to the body of Akane's   
pet, P-chan. Ranma-chan sighed. "I should have known Kodachi would do something   
like this..." She looked over at Kuno.  
  
Said kendoist was furious. "This..." He raised his bokutou at Kodachi. "...is   
the most insulting thing I've ever seen in my life! Prepare--"  
  
"HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!" Loud, raucous laughter cut Kuno off. Ranma-chan, Akane,   
Kuno, and practically everyone else within earshot turned to the noise.  
  
Standing up on the rim of the field, next to Nabiki, was a very tall gajin guy,   
obviously looking at a picture of 'Kuno-pig'. He was holding his stomach as he   
laughed.  
  
"WHO ARE YOU TO LAUGH AT ME!?!" roared Kuno, looking ready to burst.  
  
The gajin struggled to contain his laughter. "Sorry, sorry, I [snicker] I didn't   
[laugh] mean it that way! It just [snicker] hit me and I could help it!" he   
struggled out.  
  
"BEGONE FROM HERE, FOREIGNER, FOR YOU ARE NOT WORTHY OF MY GAZE!"  
  
The laughter cut off entirely. "Hey, chill out! I told you, I got nothin'   
against you--"  
  
Lowering his voice only slightly, Kuno cut off the gajin again. "Ah, but I have   
*everything* against *you*! How dare you invade this place of study and mock me,   
the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High [KRAK-BOOOOM], with your vile laughter!   
Foreign pest!"  
  
"Whoa, Kuno's pissed," remarked Akane.  
  
Ranma-chan tapped Akane on the shoulder. "Forget Kuno, *that* guy," she said,   
pointing at the gajin, "is *pissed*, or will be shortly. I hope he doesn't get   
in a fight with Kuno though, 'cause I don't want to have to bail him out when he   
starts losing."  
  
"Ranma! You haven't even seen that guy fight and besides, don't you always say   
that Kuno sucks?"  
  
"Akane, Kuno sucks compared to *me*. That gajin, though he does have a bit of an   
aura, doesn't move like a martial artist. If anything, he's a street fighter."  
  
"But what does that..."  
  
"Jeez, don't you know anything? Martial artists build up their speed and   
strength to land blows, and develop skill to deflect attacks; endurance is   
developed somewhat, but only as a last resort against that rare lucky shot.   
Street fighters are fairly strong and fast, but for the most part lack real   
skill; they rely on their endurance, the ability to take a nasty hit and keep   
going, to win. Because he's survived all the beatings we've heaped on him,   
Kuno's endurance is almost as good as Ryoga's. That eliminates a street   
fighter's endurance advantage, leaving him with only his strength and speed.   
Kuno has those, and a fair amount of skill on top of them. And that means--"  
  
"What... did... you... just... call... me?" said the voice of a person strained   
to the edge of control.  
  
"--chikuso! Too late!" Ranma-chan said in frustration.  
  
Nabiki suddenly started tugging on the gajin's arm. "NO! You can't fight him!   
Kuno is pretty good with his bokutou, and has incredible stamina! You--"  
  
"Sorry Na-chan. *Nobody* calls me a 'boot-licking western beast'. NOBODY."   
Ranma-chan and Akane both raised an eyebrow and Nabiki's antics and the gajin's   
response. He then [thump] dropped his backpack to the ground and began walking   
down the slope towards his opponent, an expression of fury twisting his face,   
fire burning in his dark brown eyes. "There is one thing in this world that I   
absolutely *hate*."  
  
Standing in the center of the field, bokutou in hand, Kuno asked, "Oh? And what,   
pray you, is that?"  
  
"Pompous, overbearing, self-centered morons," He spat, continuing to walk   
forward. "People who believe that they are better, superior even, than   
'foreigners'. You're fooling no one but yourself. You become someone's better by   
*earning* it. I absolutely hate people like that..." Exactly five meters from   
Kuno, the gajin stopped. "...especially *you*, asshole."  
  
Dozens of gasps went up as the infamous English curse was translated directly to   
Japanese and said for all to hear. Kuno turned purple with anger.  
  
Akane just stared. "Wow. Ranma, you were right, that gajin is furious... Ranma?"  
  
Ranma-chan stood, mouth slightly agape. "I don't believe it..." [WHAP] "Ow!   
Whaddya do that for?!"  
  
"What's with you, Ranma?" she said.  
  
"Akane, remember when I said the gajin had a bit of an aura? Well, now his aura   
is huge!"  
  
"What?!"  
  
"One minute, he's calm, and has almost no aura to speak of. Next minute, he's   
thoroughly pissed, he's throwing out a big aura, and weirdest of all, the aura's   
almost totally unfocused! I mean, even more unfocused than yours Akane!"  
  
"Wha... unfocused?"  
  
"Yea... there're only two places where that gajin's aura has any focus at all:   
around his arms."  
  
Just then, Nabiki ran up. "Ranma, you have to stop this fight!"  
  
Ranma-chan shook her head. "No."  
  
"No?!?"  
  
"No. I want to see this guy fight."  
  
Nabiki gaped, then sighed and turned her attention back to the new face off.   
Across the field, she noticed Kodachi eyeing Tom. ~Oh no you don't, you bitch!   
Tom-kun is MINE!... What am I saying?~ Nabiki started hitting her hand against   
her head.  
  
Back to the soon-to-be combatants...  
  
"You... how *dare* you call me that! I shall--"  
  
"Shut the fuck up. I *don't* want to hear it." Kuno stiffened at the response,   
then went back to his 'unbeatable samurai' posturing.  
  
Tom pulled his leather jacket off, revealing two things. Some gold embroidery on   
the back of his sleeveless shirt. And a pair of tattoos that snaked out from   
under his shirt over his shoulders and winding their way down his arms; the   
tattoos ended on the backs of his hands. Then the gajin tightened his belt and   
the bands that held the cuffs of his pants at his ankles.  
  
Ranma-chan noticed the tattoos instantly. ~The focus of his aura... it's around   
those tattoos. Interesting, I wonder how he does it...~  
  
Kuno looked over his foe with what was at first a modicum of interest. Taller   
than himself, the gajin was very slim. But instead of seeming like a fragile   
twig, Kuno was slightly startled to realize that he looked more like a...  
  
Tom's hands curled into fists and he brought his knuckles together in front of   
him with a loud crack (think Sanosuke from "Rurouni Kenshin"), then he took up   
his fighting stance. "Come on..."  
  
~Hmmm... Left fist in front and right fist up and way back, back bent over   
forward leg, body at a forty-five degree angle to Kuno, feet spread apart front   
to back... that's an interesting stance,~ thought Ranma-chan.  
  
Motioning for Kuno to take his stance, Tom whispered, "...Let's dance," in a   
voice that somehow was heard across the field. Kuno brought his bokutou into a   
high guard, and as he did... Tom *moved*.  
  
In a few bare seconds, he crossed the distance between him and a motionless   
Kuno. His right arm tensed noticeably, then shot forward, his fist leading like   
a bullet.  
  
[CRACK] The single charging haymaker knocked Kuno on his ass and sent him   
skidding a good half-dozen meters on his back before stopping.  
  
Ranma-chan kept replaying the scene in her mind. ~What the heck was *THAT*?!?   
I don't think even Ryoga can hit that hard with one punch, even a charging one!   
This guy... he struck so fast... he moved like... a...~ Ranma-chan narrowed her   
eyes, studying the gajin's movements as he slowly pulled his arm back and   
resumed his stance. ~Kami, what *is* he moving like?! He strikes hard and fast,   
then retreats before his opponent can retaliate...~  
  
"Well? Get up all ready!" the gajin hissed. "I'm not finished with you yet!"  
  
Slowly, Kuno pulled himself back to his feet, holding his jaw. Once upright,   
Kuno snarled viciously, "A beast indeed. You, like so many others, will fall   
before my blade! HAVE AT THEE!" and he charged.  
  
Again Tom's entire body tensed. When Kuno entered striking range he swung his   
bokutou in an overhead strike, which Tom met with his right fist. He responded   
with a left jab that rocked Kuno's head back a bit. Both combatants drew back   
and began to circle each other. Then Kuno attacked again with a series of rapid   
stabs. Tom managed to deflect the first few with his fists but the rest battered   
his head and body. He retreated a pair of steps and Kuno moved to follow, trying   
to push his apparent advantage. However, as Kuno began to take the second step,   
Tom stepped back in at Kuno and sent a side kick into the kendoist's gut. Kuno's   
breath whooshed out of him and he stumbled back, almost losing his balance. Tom   
pulled his foot back from the kick and began circling again.  
  
Kuno steadied himself with his bokutou, then took up a different stance. Seconds   
passed as Tom, still circling, waited for an attack, but none came.  
  
"Hmm... Kuno's gettin' smarter. He's waiting for an attack, instead of launching   
one himself," said Ranma-chan. Akane nodded in silent agreement, wondering to   
herself why it had taken Kuno until now to change his tactics. The attention of   
the entire school was now on the fight between Kuno and the new guy, an American   
from his looks and cloths.  
  
Suddenly Tom burst into what seemed to be another charging punch. Kuno   
apparently thought so as well and started a wide swing that would have swatted   
the punch aside and thrown Tom off balance, *if* it had hit. But the gajin's   
leading fist, his left, opened up and he grabbed Kuno's bokutou as it came   
toward him. Tom hauled back on the wooden sword, pulling Kuno to him even as he   
kept moving forward. The kendoist didn't even have time to curse as Tom's right   
fist snaked out into his gut in a brutal body blow that folded Kuno over the   
gajin's arm. Tom pulled his fist back from his doubled-over opponent, stepped   
around to Kuno's side, and slammed him down into the ground with a two-fisted   
hammer blow to his back. Kuno was practically imbedded in the ground, but he   
still had a grip on his bokutou. Tom backed up a bunch of paces and waited.  
  
This time it took even longer for Kuno to pull himself back to his feet. The   
look of absolute fury on his face was a fairly common sight, but this time it   
was met evenly by the disgust in his opponent's eyes. Kuno's (relatively) small   
aura flared as he bellowed, "ENOUGH!! NOW FEEL TRUE PAIN!" And launched himself   
at the gajin, going in his classic rapid-thrusting attack: "STRIKE-STRIKE-  
STRIKE-STRIKE-STRIKE-STRIKE-STRIKE-STRIKE-STRIKE-STRIKE!!!"  
  
Tom was taken by complete surprise and couldn't escape the brunt of the attack.   
Dozens of thrusts slammed through his guard, hit after hit keeping him off   
balance. Kuno kept his attack going as long as he could, now knowing he had the   
advantage. Nabiki screamed "NO!" as Kuno, with a final cry of triumph, ended his   
attack with an upward swing that snapped Tom's chin up and lifted him into the   
air a bit. The gajin hit the ground on his back with bruising force. He didn't   
rise immediately.  
  
Kuno slowly drew himself up and began slowly backing away. "I must admit, he was   
a good challenge. I have not fought a fair fight of that difficulty in a long   
time." When he was five meters from his 'downed' foe, Kuno stopped and turned   
his back, speaking his 'audience'. "But like all others who challenge the Blue   
Thunder of Furinkan High, he could not match my might, and thus lost." Then he   
angled his voice over his shoulder, without looking back. "Foreigner, I trust   
you have learned your lesson, and will now leave the presence of that who is   
your superior...?" Kuno started in surprise as he realized that his fellow   
students were not gazing at him with the respect he surly deserved, but *gaping*   
at something *behind* him...  
  
"We ain't finished yet," came the whisper-quiet voice. Tom was back on his feet.   
"It ain't over 'till it's over... and I say it ain't over." And once again, he   
*moved*.  
  
From his fighting stance, five long strides covered the five meters between him   
and Kuno in five short seconds. At his second stride, "Yaa-" he began to yell in   
a display of defiance and determination; it gained volume with each successive   
stride. At the third stride "-aaaa-", Tom's right fist came down to trail behind   
him. At the fourth stride "-aaAA-", his entire body seemed to tense up. At the   
fifth stride "-AAAA--", Tom's strike began. Ranma-chan watched as a sinuous,   
wave-like motion seemed to roll through his aura, starting around his left hip,   
rolling up his body to his right shoulder and into that arm, his entire body   
rotating. In that single second, Ranma-chan saw Tom's right arm blur forward,   
his shoulder following, as the wave of motion in his aura traveled his arm's   
length. Just as the wave reached his knuckles, Tom's fist "--HAAA!!!" slammed   
into the kendoist's jaw.  
  
[WHAM]  
  
The sound of that punch landing was so loud it echoed around the field. Kuno was   
laid flat out on his back and flew back almost a half-dozen meters. Then he hit   
the ground and skidded another dozen before he finally came to rest, unmoving.   
No groan or denial of his defeat. Kuno was *NOT* getting up. He was out cold.  
  
"*That* was a nice punch," said Ranma-chan with finality.  
  
Huffing, Tom dropped to his hands and knees. Abruptly, the entire crowd broke   
into cheers. Akane was stunned at the turnaround in the fight, Ranma-chan had   
the 'challenge' look in her eyes, and Nabiki... ran out onto the field toward   
Tom, calling his name.  
  
To be continued...  
_______________________________________________________________________  
  
Next chapter: Meet the New Guy  
  
Author's Notes:  
  
Tomas Bannon has just a few of my characteristics. He has my face, hair, and   
general build (though I *WISH* I was that tall!). The sarcasm and odd remarks   
are trademarks of mine, and the "mix of determination, knowledge, intelligence,   
and sheer willpower" is also 'me'. The rest is made up.  
  
When you read the fight between Tom and Kuno, play Mikado's "Feel the Bass"   
(Club Mix) in the background to set the mood. And crank the bass control up for   
a *really* heavy beat!  
  
Completed: 9/21/01  
  
Updated last: 10/6/01  
  
C&C to: bjhaberman@prodigy.net  
Find the latest of my fics at:  
http://Trooper1023.tripod.com/  
-or-  
http://www.mediaminer.org/ 


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